Former MSU communication professor Flick dies at 73

Hank Flick, a former Mississippi State University Department of Communication professor known for his exuberant teaching style and his work as a public address announcer for Bulldog athletics, has died.

Flick, 73, is survived by his son, Harrison.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete, and details about Flick's death were unavailable at press time.

Flick's 45-year career at MSU began in 1971. There, he taught numerous classes in the communication department -- interviewing, small group communication and media relations, among others -- and served as the public address announcer for football and basketball games.

John Forde, who leads the department and took classes under Flick in the 1980s, said he'll remember his former instructor and colleague as a devoted teacher, mentor and source of encouragement with a passion for life and education.

"He was one of the best -- if not the best -- teachers I ever had," Forde said. "Teaching wasn't a job for Hank; it was his calling. He was such a unique professor because he was so enthusiastic and believed in what he did. He could talk about theories and make them come alive.

"We're all still in a state of shock," he added. "He will be missed."

Flick, a native of California, earned his undergraduate and master's degrees from Memphis State University and later received a doctorate in interpersonal and small group communication from the University of Southern Illinois.

He was named a Grisham Master Teacher in 1994 and 1995's Mississippi Professor of the year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

"Hank was a legendary teacher; the best testament to that is the deep impact he made on the countless students he taught over the years," MSU College of Arts and Sciences Dean Rick Travis said in a university release. "The generations of students who had Flick for a class will still have vivid memories of what they learned. The communication skills he taught are etched deeply into so many MSU alumni."

Carl Smith covers Starkville and Oktibbeha County for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter @StarkDispatch